Letter: G-P's river pipeline inept decision

Mike McQuistonSt. Augustine

Published Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Editor: Georgia-Pacific decision to build a four-mile pollution pipeline from the Palatka paper mill to the middle of the St. Johns River is the latest egregious result of the total incompetence of the state's water resource managers. Because of the inept leadership of the Department of Environmental Protection and the St. Johns River Water Management District, the river is in deep trouble.

While the DEP has given Georgia-Pacific the green light to pump millions of gallons of polluted water directly into the St. Johns, the water district is giving that same paper mill millions of gallons of basically free Florida Aquifer water each day. Georgia-Pacific could use recycled water for their mill operations, but they say it's more expensive than the free deal they are getting from the water district. They consume as much aquifer water as a medium-sized city and pay little or nothing. The technology is available for them to clean up their mill discharge, but again, they say it's too expensive!

Rather than force the five paper mills and several mining operations in the water district to use recycled water, the district allows them to pump more than 100 million gallons of low-cost or no-cost water each day from the aquifer. While this aquifer giveaway is going on, the district is planning to take 262 million gallons of fresh water from the River every day because they say "the aquifer is running dry."

If Georgia-Pacific can't use recycled water and clean up their pollution, then they should shut down or move. 'Nuff said.